Home > Action Alerts > CJME Alert #25

Stop Israel's Attack on Gaza
 Write Letters to US Congress Members and Senators

THE ISSUE -

As the international community has remained silent, the Israeli military wages a full scale offensive on the Palestinian people, especially in the Gaza Strip. The Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR) and Israeli Information Center for Human Rights, monitoring with utmost concern the developments of this offensive, calls upon the international community to demand a halt to the attack.

  • From PCHR: Four Palestinian and Israeli human rights organizations submitted a petition to the Israeli High Court on Wednesday, 5 July 2006, to allow the return of Palestinian medical patients, who are stranded at Rafah International Crossing Point to return to their homes. The organizations that submitted the petition are Physicians for Human Rights in Israel, Gaza Community Mental Health Programme, Al Mezan Centre for Human Rights, and the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights.  [ full press release ]
  • From B'Tselem: Six Israeli "groups – the Association for Civil Rights in Israel, Physicians for Human Rights-Israel, Hamoked: Center for Defence of the Individual, B’tselem, the Public Committee Against Torture in Israel and Gisha - Center for the Legal Protection of Freedom of Movement also asked for an urgent hearing in order to prevent serious harm to the health of the civilian population, especially patients in hospital, and to prevent the breakdown of the water and sewage system in Gaza." [ full press release ]
 

BACKGROUND - Points you can make in a letter or call:

Israel is using weapons supplied by the United States to target Palestinian civilians and civilian infrastructure in the Gaza Strip in violation of the US Arms Export Control Act and the Geneva Conventions.

  • On June 9th, Israel shelled a beach in Beit Lahiya killing 8 civilians and injuring 32. At the site of the killing, Human Rights Watch found evidence of a 155mm artillery shell consistent with those fired from an Israeli M-109 Self-Propelled Artillery. Between 2000-2005, the United States licensed to Israel $69,163 worth of M-109 spare parts and 155mm artillery shells.
  • On June 13th, Israeli aircraft fired missiles at a van in an extrajudicial assassination of two Palestinians in Gaza City. A second barrage of missiles fired shortly afterward killed nine Palestinian bystanders.
  • On June 20th, Israeli aircraft fired at least one missile at a car in an extrajudicial assassination attempt on a road between Jabalya and Gaza City. The missile missed its intended target and killed three Palestinian children and wounded 15.
  • On June 27th, Israel launched a massive invasion of the Gaza Strip.

Israeli aircraft fired missiles targeting civilian infrastructure. In illegal acts of collective punishment, Israel demolished three key bridges, the Gaza Strip's only electricity generation plant, and part of a university, thereby endangering Palestinian human rights to food, water, health, electricity, education, and freedom of movement. Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert admitted that the purpose of these measures is to "apply pressure" to the civilian population of the Gaza Strip.

The Israeli air force fighter squadrons are composed of Lockheed Martin F-16I Fighting Falcons and Boeing F-15Is, which fire US-manufactured AMRAAM, Sidewinder, and Sparrow missiles. Between 2005-2005, the United States licensed to Israel at least $1.062 billion of spare parts, engines, and missiles for its F-15 and F-16 fighter planes.

Israel's month of killing civilians and destroying civilian infrastructure in the Gaza Strip is a clear reminder that Israel remains the occupying power of the Gaza Strip despite last year's "unilateral disengagement".

Living under military occupation, the Palestinians of the Gaza Strip are "protected persons" under the terms of the Geneva Conventions. Israel's targeting of civilians and civilian infrastructure in the Gaza Strip is a violation of the Geneva Conventions and constitutes war crimes.

In addition, by using US-supplied weapons to commit these atrocities, Israel is violating the terms of the US Arms Export Control Act and Foreign Assistance Act. The Arms Export Control Act restricts the use of US weapons to legitimate self-defense and internal policing; US weapons cannot be used to attack civilians in offensive operations. The Foreign Assistance Act prohibits US aid of any kind to a country with a pattern of gross human rights violations.

- Background provided by Interfaith Peace-Builders, Fellowship of Reconciliation
What You Can Do:

1. Contact the White House, State Department, and your Members of Congress to demand that Israel is held accountable for its violations of the US Arms Export Control Act and Foreign Assistance Act and urge that military aid to Israel be cut off as required by law. Click here to send an email:

http://www.democracyinaction.org/dia/organizationsORG/uscampaign/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=4460

2. Make a donation for medical relief. Palestinian Medical Relief Society is in urgent need of essential equipment, first aid supplies, medical materials and medications in order to sustain the work of its emergency response services.  As such, it appeals to the generosity of all its friends throughout the world for support in helping it contribute to averting a public health disaster. Send a check to:

Rev. Dr. Fahed Abu-Akel (Tel: 404-441-2702)
Friends of PMRS Inc.
P.O. Box 450554
Atlanta, GA 31145

3. Send an email to info@cjme.org and let us know that you responded to this alert.